Insanity is Just a State of Mind
by SyberiaWinx
Summary: Clock Tower 2 fic. The story of all the things that happened to the Tate family. And Ashley! What really happened to Ashley!
1. Is Someone There?

**Insanity is Just a State of Mind**

Disclaimer: I still have not managed to acquire the rights…but it's only a matter of time!

Chapter One: "Is Someone There?"

It was a cloudy, mid-afternoon day. Three young girls were walking home from school together, talking cheerfully to one another. At twelve years old, they had no worries other than passing their classes. The three girls all wore the same uniform- a blue, long-sleeved sailor fuku with a red bow and a blue skirt that fell to their knees. They even shared the same neat white socks and shiny black maryjanes and all carried brown leather bags filled with schoolwork.

Suddenly, one of them stopped and looked at her watch. Her friends also stopped walking and turned to look at her. "Is something wrong, Ashley?" one of them asked-her best friend, Yutsuko, who was a pretty girl with fair skin and long black hair held back by a white headband. The other girl, Risa, said nothing. Despite her tomboyish, short black hair, she was very shy, as she was new to the school and still did not know Ashley and Yutsuko very well.

Ashley Tate shook her head. "I just realized I can't stop for ice cream with you guys. My cousin Alyssa is coming over today to stay with us for a bit. Mom told me to make sure to come straight home." she said with an apologetic smile. "I haven't seen Alyssa in a long time, like, since I was a real little kid, so I don't remember her very well. Mom did seemed a little worried when she mentioned that she was coming to stay with us though. I don't want to make her worry any more by being late."

Yutsuko smiled. "It's fine. Go see your cousin. We can get ice cream any old time. Just don't forget to call me tonight!" She gave her best friend a fake warning look.

"I won't." Ashley assured her with a laugh. "See you guys later!" she called behind her, waving as she ran off. When they did not stop for ice cream, the three split up here, as Yutsuko and Risa had to take the other road to get to where they lived.

"Bye!" Yutsuko shouted, returning the wave enthusiastically.

"Goodbye!" Risa said loudly, her face reddening.

Ashley slowed her pace once her friends were out of sight. There was no real reason to hurry. She would get home on time just like she always did when she did not stop off with her friends. So, why did she feel so uneasy?

The wind picked up a bit. Looking up at the sky, she could see that the clouds were getting darker, making it seem much later than it actually was. There would probably be a storm pretty soon. Hopefully, she would get home before it started.

Even as the wind started to howl, Ashley picked up the sound of footsteps mimicking her own. She thought nothing of it at first, but then they stopped when she did and resumed moving in sequence with hers. She nervously glanced behind her occasionally, but could not see even the slightest sign of anyone else on the sidewalk.

Then the footsteps started quickening, matching the pace of her panicking heart. She stopped and, again, so did they. Turning around, she stared at the completely deserted street uneasily, the wind running through her short, neatly-cut, dark brown hair. Why did everyone have to pick today to be inside?

"Is someone there?" she whispered. Even if there was, no way they could have heard her ask…and no way she would have wanted them to answer.

Ashley broke into a run, feeling the tears on her face. There was no reason to cry. Her mind was just making things up to scare her probably. No one was following her. She was a big girl now. It was childish to cry at her age. If Yutsuko were to see her like this, she would never let her forget it.

But she did not care. As her maryjanes slammed into the sidewalk, she did not care about anything but getting home-home with her mom and dad and her brother and sister…and even Alyssa. If she could just get home, she would do all her homework before even turning on the tv. She would play house with Stephanie whenever she wanted. And she would help her mom do the housework…and never fight with Michael over stupid things ever again. She wouldn't argue with dad when he told her she was playing the piano too loud. As long as she could see their faces again…then she would know she was safe.

The footsteps were louder and faster now. The person behind her was running too and seemed to be getting closer and closer…but she was almost home now. She could see her house…If she just kept running, she would make it…

Suddenly, Ashley felt the ground disappear from under her as her darn maryjanes slipped on the street. She fell forward and her head slammed into the ground. As she lay there on the ground, head pounding furiously, Ashley felt all the warmth slowly fading from her body. She saw the faces of her family and Yutsuko and Risa and wondered if she would ever see any of them again.

Even as she lay there, her body so numb and cold, Ashley felt something prick her arm. She saw…beside her…a devil? "I want to go home…" she whimpered hoarsely, her consciousness slowly fading as she felt something cold coursing through her entire body, making her shiver. Her head hurt more than ever now-like it was exploding. But she could not seem to think about the pain. Her memories felt like they were being pulled away from her-her family's faces disappearing into the darkness. She couldn't remember what they looked like!

Ashley kept whispering to herself until her consciousness faded away, not wanting to forget about her family-about that desire to be home and and safe in their arms…

"I want to see them…"

"I want to see them…"

"I want to see them…"

"I want to see them…"

"I want…to see them…?"

"I want…to see…"

"Want to see…them"

"Want to…see them"

"Want to…see…them…"

"Want…to…kill…them…"


	2. What's This?

**Insanity is Just a State of Mind**

Disclaimer: Nope, the rights are not mine just yet.

Chapter Two: "What's This?"

Seven-year-old Stephanie Tate let out a sigh. Her sister Ashley still was not home from school yet, and she was bored out of her mind. She had tried to get her parents to play with her, but they were too busy talking about the arrival of some cousin she could not even remember ever meeting. And her big brother Michael was still working on his homework and studying for his high school exams.

The first grade student left her room. Maybe things would get more interesting when her cousin got here. But until then, she might as well watch a little tv while her siblings were unable to hog it all to themselves. She went into the small den upstairs and climbed up onto the couch. Turning on the tv, she settled down to watch some cartoons.

Before long, she had gotten bored again and fallen fast asleep. She woke up just as the show she had been watching ended. Ashley should be home by now. She hurried down to the front door, but the older girl's shoes were nowhere in sight.

_She must have decided to hang out with her friends…I bet Mommy's gonna be mad when she gets home!_ Stephanie could not help but grin to herself at the thought. She returned upstairs to the den and turned off the tv. She was about to leave again, when she heard a strange sound coming from the closet.

Puzzled, the little girl opened the door and started rummaging around inside. She finally narrowed the noise down to a big, old package in the way back that had been buried under tons of stuff. Most of the writing on it was faded, but she managed to make out the name "Allen Hale".

"Isn't that Daddy's friend..?" She struggled to tear off all the strong tape and pulled off the lid. Laying inside was a weird-looking yellow statue. She picked it up and looked at her distorted reflection in its shiny surface.

"What's this? It looks kind of cool…" Stephanie stood up and took the item to her room.

The statue seemed to be smiling wickedly at her. It kind of made her want to laugh for some unexplainable reason. She dropped the statue and covered her mouth with both hands to stifle her high-pitched giggles.

Her stomach growled just then, so she went downstairs. Her parents were sitting at the table in the small dining room talking quietly about something and did not even look up as she passed, so she just went into the kitchen and pulled open one of the drawers. When did her hand become so pale?

She got out the long knife her mother often used to chop vegetables and held it up to the light, admiring how the brightness glinted off of it…how sharp it was…the reflection of her widening, glee-filled yellow eyes in the blade…

Her mother's piercing scream filled the air. The girl turned in surprise, her small fingers closing around the handle of the knife. She had to go look for her mother and make sure she was ok.

The girl's lips curved into a maddening smile, and she let out a maniacal laugh.

After all, it wouldn't be any fun if her mommy wasn't alive to play with her anymore. And Mommy had promised to get her some new red paint for her watercolors weeks ago, but she had kept saying she was too busy. Oh, well…The child grinned at her knife.

Red was an easy color to come by.


	3. Is That You?

**Insanity is Just a State of Mind**

Disclaimer: Nope, the rights are still not mine, but it's only a matter of time!!

Chapter Three: "Is That You?"

Kathryn Tate was not happy with her eldest daughter, Ashley. Sure, she had been going crazy with worry because the girl was still not home, but now that she had heard the front door shutting and felt certain she was safe, her anger had returned. She was going to give her a big hug and then a long lecture about how she was in middle school now and had to start acting like it.

"Ashley?" the woman called, as she entered the hall. She heard a strange sound coming from the alcove where the front door was. "Is that you?"

There was no reply.

"Ashley?" Kathryn took a few steps closer, until her daughter came into view. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her. "Thank goodness. Your father and I have been worried sick. Do you have any idea-" She stopped short, looking at her child more closely. Something was different about her…

Her skin was a sickly green color, and her eyes were white and frighteningly empty.

"My goodness! Ashley, are you sick?!" The woman's voice was filled with worry.

Ashley did not reply. She took a slow step towards her mother, barely lifting her foot off the ground. Her arms hung limply in front of her.

Kathryn instinctively took a step back. "Ashley, stop this-you're not being funny. Ashley…what's wrong with you?!" There was a hint of panic in her voice now. Should she run and get Phillip? No, this was Ashley, not some hoodlum threatening her. But…why was she acting so strangely?

The twelve-year-old continued to trudge towards her mother, stiffly lifting her arms to reach out in front of her. Startled and becoming increasingly frightened, Kathryn stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. Much to her horror, Ashley came down on top of her, clasping her hands tightly around her neck.

Kathryn let out a piercing scream, struggling to no avail to get Ashley off her. Her own daughter was trying to kill her-trying to squeeze the life right out of her. She felt herself starting to lose consciousness and could not believe she was going to die by the hands of her own child.

Suddenly, she faintly heard Phillip's voice, followed by a loud _thump_. Air rushed into her lungs, and she was soon able to sit up. She saw a brief glimpse of Ashley slumped on the floor nearby, before Phillip yanked her to her feet.

"Kathryn, hurry and get away from here. Go and hide!"

Momentarily torn between her motherly instincts and her fear, she decided to place her faith in her husband and ran back through the door she has used to enter the hall. She went into her and Phillip's bedroom and locked the door, before collapsing on her bed. Tears started streaming down her face.

"My Ashey…what has happened to you?"


	4. How Can This Be?

**Insanity is Just a State of Mind**

Disclaimer: Still don't own it yet.

Chapter Four: "How can this be?"

Phillip Tate watched his daughter stiffly get to her feet. He could not hold back a gasp as he caught his first glimpse of her green skin and empty eyes. She looked like those creatures he had seen-the ones from Maxwell's experiments at the lab. He had been a fool to just pretend he had not seen the man messing around with the hospital patients and turning them into monsters like Ashley was now. His fear had kept him quiet, but now his daughter was paying the price for his silence…

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the butcher knife he had taken from the table upon hearing his wife scream. He started to sweat just from looking at that glinting blade. Could he really use it on his own daughter?

_She's not Ashley, anymore. _he argued with himself, taking a step back as she came towards him. _She is just a monster now-you can't do anything to change her back. The real Ashley is already dead!_ But was she? How could he know for sure his Ashley was gone forever-that there was no possibility of him returning her to normal? If there was something that could make her into this creature, then surely there was something that could make her human again…right? He couldn't kill her!

_But she'll kill me! If I do nothing, she will kill me, her mother, and her brother and sister, too! I don't want to die!!_

Unable to decide between his own life and his daughter's, Phillip scrambled through the nearest door, finding himself in the dark washroom. He quickly shut the door and looked around for a place to hide. Horrified, he realized that there wasn't one and as a last resort, ran to the alcove where the bathtub was. Was there something here he could use to stop her without killing her?

He heard the door open and Ashley shuffle into the room. His pulse quickened, and his heart began to race with terror. He grabbed the metal wash basin off the floor, turning just in time to see her lunging at him.

With a fierce cry, he ducked out of the way and swung the basin at her. It caught her in the back of the head and sent her stumbling into the bathtub. For a minute, she lay sprawled there, and he thought he had managed to knock her out. Then his stomach fell as he saw her push herself up and turn towards him.

Before he could react, she lunged at him again, her hands closing around his neck. He stumbled backwards, but managed to not lose his balance. His daughter's grip around his neck tightened, and he found that he could not pry her off. Panic rose in his mind, realizing her was going to die if he did not do something quick.

_Ashley is dead-nothing more than a monster now. _But there might be a way to return her to her old self. _Even if she were alive, she would be willing to die to protect her family, right? _Not as much as she would like to live and be with them. _She wouldn't want me to let her hurt them-she would want me to end her suffering._ She is my child-I should worry about protecting her, too. _This is the right thing to do!_ It's my only option other than…_She doesn't want to kill me-_ _she wants to die. _I have to kill her-I don't want to die.

Phillip plunged the knife into his daughter's heart, shoving her backwards, into the bathtub. Even as he pulled the knife out, she was still struggling to get up. Grabbing her by the hair, he forced her back down, using the blade to sever her head. Yellow liquid spurted from her neck, quickly filling the tub. Still, she flailed around blindly, her right arm grabbing his wrist. With one quick swing, he hacked the arm off, letting it fall into the yellow blood. Ashley's body fell limp at last, and Phillip collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily.

His daughter was dead…and he was the one who had killed her. He forced back the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. There was no time to grieve now-he had to stop the Maxwell Curse and get the rest of his family out of this house! He had to destroy that statue Allen had sent him all those years ago-it had to be the cause of all this!

Philly shakily got to his feet. To his horror, he saw Ashley's severed right arm thrashing around in the water. With a frightened cry, he quickly left the room, turning the light off in a pathetic attempt to hide his cowardly act of sin.


End file.
